Credit: Sonos
Sonos are retiring the older Playbar and Playbase soundbars in favor of the new Sonos Arc.
Intended to act as something of a big brother to the more-affordable Sonos Beam, the Sonos Arc features a polycarbonate grille design, built-in microphones and - for the first time in a Sonos speaker - Dolby Atmos support.
Patrick Spence, Sonos CEO, says that that "Our goal is to make any room you have a television a place you can easily enjoy all of the great streaming video and music that exists today. Arc illustrates our commitment to brilliant sound and premium design, and sets a new standard for soundbars."
Priced at AU$1399, the Sonos Arc is set to take the place of the previous Playbar and Playbase within the audio brand's product portfolio. The hook here is that the Arc is smaller than the former but louder than the latter. Despite being armed with 11 transducers driven by class-D amplifiers, the new soundbar is also more power-efficient.
While those older speakers will continue be supported, the Atmos-enabled Arc promises to make the most of being the company's first device to run on their new S2 app.
Developed in response to backlash over their recycling mode initiative late last year, Sonos say that the S2 app will launch on the 8th of June.
According to the company, "This new generation app features support for higher resolution audio technologies, evident with the Dolby Atmos experience on Arc, as well as increased security and improved design for easier use. User interface updates make it even simpler for customers to search for content, control sound, and personalize the experience with new features starting with saved room groups.
Alongside the Arc, Sonos have also announced refreshes for the Sonos Sub and Play:5 speaker.
Credit: Sonos The new Sonos Sub retains the design of the previous model but swaps out the internals. Sonos say the third-generation subwoofer boasts increased memory, processing power, and a new wireless radio. It'll be available in Australia from June 10 at an RRP of AU$999.
Then, the older Sonos Play:5 is being replaced by the new Sonos 5 speaker. Like the refreshed Sonos Sub, the Sonos 5 inherits the form-factor of its predecessor but gives a spec-bump to the internal hardware involved to make it compliant with the capabilities of the new S2 app.
Another small but interesting detail here: Sonos have removed the Play:5's built-in microphone but kept the 3.5mm auxiliary jack.
Credit: Sonos In Australia, the new Sonos 5 will be available from June 10th at an RRP of AU$749.
The Sonos Arc will be available in Australia from June 10 at an RRP of AU$1399.
